


Day 1 – Applause

by moshimichi



Series: Arc V Rare Pair Week 2017 [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Canon, Zarc's got some PTSD going on, and the pair's more if you squint haha
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 07:11:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11458611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moshimichi/pseuds/moshimichi
Summary: Sometimes the cheers and applause don't necessarily lead to good feelings.





	Day 1 – Applause

**Author's Note:**

> Posting this a day late cuz I completely forgot what day the Rare Pair Week started lol my bad ^^;

Screams resounded, the air ringing with the number of voices striving to make themselves heard.

“CCC Sonic Halberd, attack!”

There was an ensuing explosion and clouds of smoke rose up along with the flames. Crowds of people quickly streamed away from the source, pushing and shoving to put as much distance between them and the small child wreaking havoc and destruction as possible.

“This is what you wanted!” they cried out, voice young and high-pitched. The audience was still screaming. Still cheering. The applause wouldn’t stop. They wanted more, more, _always more_. “I’ll give you what you want!”

“Reira!”

Glowing eyes turned to the newcomer, yellow distant and unseeing. Sakaki Yuya skidded to a stop and the dragon beside him keened in dismay. The entertainer looked on in horror as the world burned around them, the cause of it all a small child seemingly unaware of reality.

Another opponent? A small hand came up and lips parted to ready another offense.

“Snap out of it!” the man begged. The plea went unheard as the child’s monster attacked. Yuya dove for an action card, rolling as he activated it. Odd-Eyes was narrowly missed as the attack went wide. “Reira, please!”

“CCC Shadow Spear, attack,” they intoned, words seemingly overlaid by a much deeper voice. The spear-shaped monster flew and pierced the dragon, destroying it. Yuya cried out as his life points fell. He stumbled as he rose to his feet, taking a step forward only to hit the dirt as another attack rended the air where his head had been.

Just a little bit more. Just a little bit more and the opponent would go down. Victory would be obtained, the audience would be appeased, and the applause would finally, _finally_ stop. They just needed one more strike—

“Zarc!”

The child froze, eyes wide, and red flared in front of their vision. Reiji crouched before the eight-year-old, hands placed firmly over their ears. He had seen what had set the spirit off. Blue irises had flickered whenever the audience clapped. And when such large-scale applause occurred after Reira won her first duel in public, Zarc had exploded.

“That’s enough, Zarc,” he chided. Yellow stared into violet and despite how cold they looked, Zarc felt…comforted. Like everything was going to be alright. No, _because_ everything was going to be alright. Whereas Ray had been heated, a blazing inferno set to burn him to ashes, Reiji was like a cool balm soothing his battered heart. Ray had destroyed him. Reiji wouldn’t do that.

Cards fluttered to the ground as tight fists finally relaxed, reaching forward to grasp the fluttering red scarf that had filled his vision. With his hold on them released, the monsters faded away.

“They’re still cheering,” he rasped, the phantom applause continuing to ring in his— _hers, Reira’s—_ ears. “They still want more. I have to keep going.”

Hands still clasped over Reira’s ears, Reiji gently smoothed his thumbs over the child’s cheeks. Still in a daze, Zarc hadn’t noticed the tears that began to fall.

“No one is cheering,” he said firmly. Then, his expression then gentled and his voice took on a more reassuring tone. “It’s over. So you can stop now. “

“…Promise?” The question was vulnerable and far more child-like than one would expect from the rampaging spirit. However, Reiji could see just how tired Zarc was through that frail gaze.

“I promise,” he said. Zarc gave a wobbly smile, lips quivering. He knew it. Reiji made it okay. Reiji promised and Zarc would trust Reiji’s promise. With that reassurance firmly nestled in his heart, Zarc finally let himself slip back into unconsciousness.

Reiji watched as Reira blinked, yellow fading back into blue. The girl yawned, tired and confused as to what was happening. “Nii-sama?”

“It’s alright,” he murmured, feeling more than seeing Yuya stumble towards them. The other man had stayed firmly put, knowing better than to interrupt what Reiji had been doing. Now, Yuya came to check on the girl he so doted on.

Reiji pressed a small, affectionate kiss to Reira’s forehead, watching in amusement as she lit up at the touch. To the others, he looked every bit the older brother soothing his little sister. However, they both knew his words and his actions were also meant for the spirit sealed inside her body.

“Everything is alright.”

**Author's Note:**

> Also posted on my tumblr [here](http://moshimichi.tumblr.com/post/162816836021/day-1-applause).


End file.
